Leicester do the job in the Lions’ Den

Millwall 0:2 Leicester City

Second half goals from Lookman and Iheanacho saw City hurdle Millwall at the Den in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.

Brendan Rodgers made eight changes to his side for this trip to South London, but it was still a strong looking line-up, and Millwall also rested some key players.
A strange half unfolded with Millwall sitting back and City dominating possession, but the home side having more chances. The first came in the 15th minute when Cooper nodded the ball on to Leonard, who fired a 20-yarder wide. Mahoney then hit a well-struck effort that forced a good save from Ward.
As the Lions continued to offer the greater threat Pearce got a header on target.
City looked very subdued in the first half and their first attempt on goal didn’t come until just before half time when Tielemans sent a free-kick over the bar.  Even then, Gary Rowett’s side had the final say of the half when Thompson landed a header onto the roof of Ward’s net.

Brendan Rodgers sent his side out unchanged, but they looked more on it and took the lead five minutes into the second half. City won possession in midfield and broke forward, Iheanacho striding forward to the edge of the area. His low shot was tipped away by Long, but only into the path of Lookman who netted his first goal for City.
Millwall had to be more adventurous now, but couldn’t find a way through. Hutchinson wasting a good chance from close in.
Rodgers brought Daka on for Lookman, and Vestergaard for Albrighton for the closing stages before Millwall’s best chance arrived in the 76th minute. A tantalising Mahoney free-kick curled across the goalmouth somehow evading everyone in a crowded area.
Iheanacho had shots blocked by Evans and Long, before putting the game to bed in the 88th minute.
Ndidi sent him down the right and he cut in and beat his marker before firing the ball into the roof of the net from the edge of the area.
It hadn’t been a vintage performance from City, but they had done the job and now had a home tie against Brighton in the 4th round.

Millwall: Long, Hutchinson (Ballard 65), Pearce (Afobe 72), Cooper, Leonard, Mitchell, Evans, Wallace, Mahoney, Thompson (Smith 72), Bradshaw.
Substitutes: Malone, Saville, Bödvarsson, Bialkowski.
Leicester: Ward, Amartey, Söyüncü, Evans, Albrighton (Vestergaard 72), Tielemans, Ndidi, Dewsbury-Hall, Thomas, Iheanacho, Lookman (Daka 69).
Substitutes: Barnes, Maddison, Castagne, Jakupovic, Soumaré.
Referee: Andy Madley.

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Leicester beaten by VAR at Brighton

Brighton & Hove Albion 2:1 Leicester City

Some desperately poor VAR decisions led to a 2-1 defeat for City at Brighton on Sunday.

Brendan Rodgers made five changes to the side that started against Napoli bringing in Ricardo, Söyüncü, Tielemans, Maddison and Vardy.
City dominated the opening ten minutes of the game, pinging the ball about on the wet surface with Brighton hardly getting a touch. Barnes got in behind the defence, but his cut back was intercepted, Tielemans sent a long-range effort wide and Maddison had a shot blocked by Dunk.
But then the tide turned and it was the home side who pressing forward, with the impressive Cucurella pulling the strings. Maupay had a shot blocked by Vestergaard and the ball span narrowly over the bar. Then Schmeichel blocked a fierce low shot from March with a boot. Lallana then fired over from a good position before Trossard sent a well-struck effort straight at Schmeichel.
With the pressure building the Seagulls were awarded a penalty in the 35th minute. Trossard’s corner was headed goalwards by Duffy and it struck Vestergaard on the arm. The Danish defender was clearly having his arm held down by Maupay, which was explained to Stuart Attwell, but VAR somehow managed to miss that and awarded the penalty. Maupay sent Schmeichel the wrong way from the spot while the City players fumed.
Brighton took their lead in at the break, and after that early bright spell City had offered next to nothing going forward.

Brendan Rodgers made a change for the second half, bringing on Lookman for Maddison, who’d had another anonymous performance. This immediately looked like an improvement, with Vardy dragging a shot wide of the far post, but then Brighton doubled their lead in the 49th minute when a Trossard free-kick from the right was nodded home by Welbeck.
This galvanised City, who dominated the rest of the game. Tielemans tried a couple of Cup Final specials to no effect and Soumaré sent a shot straight at Sánchez, but they made the breakthrough in the 61st minute. Ricardo and Lookman combined down the right and Tielemans curled a ball into the six yard box which Vardy converted from close in, for his 150th goal.
City kept the pressure on and thought they had an equaliser in the 67th minute when Lookman side-footed home from a Bertrand corner. But VAR judged Barnes to be offside and in the keeper’s eyeline.
Rodgers made a couple of changes, with Castagne on for Bertrand and Iheanacho for Soumaré and City continued to dominate proceedings. Barnes had a shot deflected and Sánchez had to guide it over the bar, while Söyüncü nodded over from a corner while in a great position.
In the 86th minute a Tielemans corner from the left was deftly nodded home by Ndidi, but the offside flag halted the celebrations once again. Barnes was offside, but he wasn’t in the keeper’s eyeline this time and it is very difficult to understand why VAR thought he was.
City kept plugging away, the impressive Lookman had a shot blocked and Tielemans sent a shot narrowly wide, but they couldn’t summon an equaliser and lost to Brighton for the first time since 2014.

Brendan Rodgers, who usually keeps his counsel on refereeing decisions vented his frustration: “It was a very, very harsh decision and like I said the process, the fourth official didn’t see it, the referee had given a corner, the linesman who was quite a way away gave it and then obviously for it not to be looked at by Stuart was disappointing so I didn’t think it was a penalty.
The first one, I can see a little bit, I think the keeper thinks that Jannik is going to head it and he misses it so it catches him by surprise. I think he can see the ball but I can maybe see why on that one Barnsey is half blocking him.
But definitely on the second one, everything’s in front of the goalkeeper, he can see it, it’s just a great leap and a great header and at no time has he ever blocked the view of the keeper. I think today we just never had the luck on our side with those decisions and I think ultimately that cost us.”

Brighton: Sánchez, Veltman, Duffy, Dunk, Cucurella, March (Mwepu 62), Bissouma (Moder 79), Lallana, Welbeck (Burn 70), Trossard, Maupay.
Substitutes: Lamptey, Connolly, Mac Allister, Alzate, Steele, Richards.
Leicester: Schmeichel, Ricardo, Söyüncü, Vestergaard, Bertrand (Castagne 68), Tielemans, Ndidi, Soumaré (Iheanacho 75), Maddison (Lookman 45), Vardy, Barnes.
Substitutes: Albrighton, Ward, Amartey, Choudhury, Dewsbury-Hall, Daka.

Referee: Stuart Attwell. Attendance: 31,078.

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Leicester let two goal lead slip against Napoli

Leicester City 2:2 Napoli

City were 2-0 up against tournament favourites Napoli in their opening Europa League game at the KPS on Thursday night, but two late goals from Osimhen saw them having to settle for a point.

Brendan Rodgers made five changes to his starting XI with Daka and Soumaré making their full debuts alongside Evans, Pérez and Iheanacho, and there was a lively start to what became a very entertaining game.
Schmeichel had to deal with a 25-yarder from Osimhen, before play switched to the other end and City went close in the 4th minute. Pérez battled his way into the area down the right and cut a ball back for Daka who found Barnes on the left, but Ospina came out to meet him and diverted the shot round the post with his knee.
But City didn’t have long to wait, taking a 9th minute lead. Barnes hared down the left and exchanged passes with Daka before delivering a perfect cross which Pérez met with a side-footed volley.
Napoli, who have started the Serie A season with three wins, began to take a grip on proceedings and created a series of chances. Insigne sent a free-kick over the bar and shots from Osimhen and Malcuit also flew over.
With City stretched, Ndidi and Soumaré went into the referees book, though he seemed less keen to punish similar fouls from the Italian side. Chances were rare for City at this stage with one promising break seeing Daka denied by a Koulibaly challenge.
The pressure increased towards the break, Osimhen set up Zielinski six yards out but his shot was blocked by a combination of Castagne’s ankle and Schmeichel’s toe before the ball span away to safety. Insigne then fired wide from a good position before Osimhen jabbed a shot well over the bar. Lozano then got a firm head to a cross which Schmeichel beat away and then the Dane saved a low shot through a crowded area from Ruiz.
City had weathered the storm and took their lead down the tunnel.

Brendan Rodgers made two changes for the second half with Tielemans and Söyüncü on for Pérez and Evans.
Napoli continued to dominate possession, helped by the referee giving free-kicks for any contact, but it was City who had the ball in the net in the 58th minute. A sweeping move from left to right saw Tielemans send Daka in and he fired a low shot past Ospina that raised the roof. Sadly, long after the celebrations had died down, VAR ruled it offside and the scoreboard clicked back to 1-0.
But City struck again three minutes later, and this time it stood. Iheancho intercepted a pass on the halfway line and delivered a perfect ball to Barnes who charged down the right before angling a low drive past Ospina and into the far corner.
Napoli kept grinding away however, and pulled a goal back in the 69th minute. They passed their way into the penalty area and Osimhen juggled the ball first over Vestergaard and then over Schmeichel.
As City tried to preserve their slender lead Rodgers brought on Lookman for Daka and then Maddison for Soumaré.
But the visitors levelled in the 87th minute, Politano crossed from the right and Osimhen rose like a salmon to nod the ball past Schmeichel. The small but intense band of Napoli followers erupted with joy.
City clung to their point, though Ndidi was dismissed when a daft shirt tug earned him a second yellow card in time-added-on.
It had been a strange game with an impressive Napoli side finding themselves 2-0 down, but a memorable European night to add to the growing collection.
There were ugly scenes after the final whistle when an assault on the Family Stand by the Napoli Ultras was met with a robust response, following some violent scenes around the city before the game.

Brendan Rodgers summed up: “I’m disappointed with the end result but there were some exciting and good moments. The two goals are outstanding and the one that was disallowed was tight. Maybe we tired a bit. There are things for us to improve on – like keeping the ball better for longer periods. If we did that, we wouldn’t tire so quickly. The effort and mentality was good. It is a shame we couldn’t close it out.”

Leicester: Schmeichel, Castagne, Evans (Söyüncü 45), Vestergaard, Bertrand, Pérez (Tielemans 45), Ndidi, Soumaré (Maddison 78), Daka (Lookman 71), Iheanacho (Vardy 88), Barnes.
Substitutes: Albrighton, Ward, Amartey, Choudhury, Ricardo, Dewsbury-Hall, Thomas.
Napoli: Ospina, Malcuit (Nunes Jesus 84), Rrahmani, Koulibaly, Di Lorenzo, Zambo Anguissa (Petagna 84), Ruiz, Zielinski (Elmas 64), Lozano (Politano 63), Osimhen, Insigne (Ounas 74).
Substitutes: Idasiak, Manolas, Zanoli, Boffelli.
Referee: Tiago Martins.

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Leicester edged out by the Champions

Leicester City 0:1 Manchester City

City were one unfortunate deflection away from holding Champions Manchester City at the KPS on Saturday afternoon, with Bernardo Silva’s 62nd minute strike claiming the points for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Brendan Rodgers’ defensive problems were eased with Bertrand, Vestergaard and Castagne all drafted in to the starting XI.
The defence were soon busy as Silva raced between Söyüncü and Castagne down the left before delivering a gift-wrapped cross to Jesus at the far post. Schmeichel blocked the Brazilian’s header and then follow-up shots were also blocked by Vestergaard and Söyüncü in a frantic spell of goalmouth action.
But play swiftly switched the other end with Vardy being sent down the right. His cross found Barnes in the area, but his shot was bravely smothered by Ederson. Both players were injured in the collision, and Ndidi’s follow-up shot was deflected behind by Walker. Vestergaard nodded narrowly over from the resulting corner.
With Man City pressing forward City’s defence performed admirably. Gündoğan had a shot charged down by Bertrand, Schmeichel saved efforts from Silva and Torres, and Vestergaard was having a fine game, at one point clearing with a classic diving header.
Jesus then forced another fine save from Schmeichel which was enough to see the sides level at the break

City started the second half brightly, a good flick on from Albrighton sending Vardy down the right. He delivered a perfect cross into the area, but Barnes’ header on the run skimmed the crossbar.

Two minutes later City had the ball in the net, but Ndidi’s through ball to Vardy that saw him dance round the keeper before slotting home from an angle had found him offside by a whisker.
Brendan Rodgers made his first change on the hour with Evans, making his first appearance of the season, replacing Vestergaard.
But two minutes later the defining moment of the game saw City go behind. Grealish cut a ball back for Cancelo, whose 20 yarder was blocked by Söyüncü but the loose ball fell kindly for the lively Silva who lashed it home from close range.

Rodgers made a double change in the 73rd minute with Iheanacho and Lookman on for Maddison and Barnes.
City had more to offer going forward now and Iheanacho did brilliantly to set up a chance for Lookman, but Ederson raced out of his goal to smother the effort.

Tielemans then set up Lookman with another chance but his shot was blocked by Dias.
The visitors managed the game well in the latter stages, and their subs also combined well, Sterling sending Fernandinho in on the right but his shot went narrowly past the far post.

City had nothing to show for their efforts, and Brendan Rodgers commented: “I feel most disappointed for the players because I felt we deserved something from the game. What’s so important against Man City is you stay in the game and from the first whistle to the end, we were right in there against a world-class team. Our players showed a nice confidence. Of course you have to defend well, and run, and work hard, but I’m proud of how the team kept fighting and how competitive they were, and I’m just disappointed we couldn’t take one of the opportunities we had.”

Leicester: Schmeichel, Castagne, Söyüncü, Vestergaard (Evans 61), Bertrand, Tielemans, Ndidi, Albrighton, Maddison (Iheanacho 73), Barnes (Lookman 73), Vardy.
Substitutes: Ward, Amartey, Ricardo, Dewsbury-Hall, Daka, Soumaré.
Man City: Ederson, Walker, Rúben Dias, Laporte, Cancelo, Gündogan, Rodri, Silva, Jesus (Fernandinho 84), Torres (Sterling 64), Grealish.
Substitutes: Stones, Aké, Zinchenko, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Carson, Foden.

Referee: Paul Tierney. Attendance: 32,087.

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‘Nowhere near’ – but Leicester claim the points at Norwich

Norwich City 1:2 Leicester City

Brendan Rodgers made one change to his side for this Saturday afternoon trip to a sunny Norfolk, with Albrighton in for the suspended Pérez. And they got off to a great start, taking an 8th minute lead.
Ricardo robbed Williams down the right and then outpaced Gibson to the byline, cutting the ball back for an unmarked Vardy who curled it past Krul from 12 yards out.
However, the celebrations had hardly died down, when Ricardo had to limp out of the game, adding to City’s long list of injured defenders. He was replaced by Castagne, wearing a protective mask that gave him the appearance of a minor superhero.
Norwich then had an attacking spell, McLean forcing a save from Schmeichel and Cantwell sending an effort narrowly wide. In the 27th minute Söyüncü almost gifted the Canaries an equaliser passing the ball straight to Rashica, but Schmeichel managed to tip Lees-Melou’s shot round the post.
Two minutes later City should have gone two up when a ball from Tielemans unzipped the Norwich defence and Vardy rode a challenge before attempted to jab the ball past Krul, but his effort was smothered.
The home side got their breakthrough five minutes before half time, when a clumsy challenge by Söyüncü on Lees-Melou went through a lengthy viewing on VAR before Robert Jones pointed to the spot.
Pukki sent Schmeichel the wrong way with his penalty and it was all-square at the break.

Norwich were the better side after the break and Cantwell and Lees-Melou both fired shots off target. Pukki then met an Aarons’ cross with his head but the Finnish striker’s effort went straight at Schmeichel.
City went close from a corner when Ndidi nodded a ball down for Maddison, but his snatched effort from close-range found the side-netting.
City were producing little going forward and Brendan Rodgers made his second change in the 67th minute, bringing Iheanacho on for Barnes. And he would have a hand in City’s 76th minute winner.
Iheanacho received a ball from Thomas and hared past Gilmour down the left. He fed Maddison who played the ball to Vardy, who forwarded it to Albrighton on the right. Albrighton took a touch before firing a low shot beyond Krul and into the far corner.
Norwich desperately went in search of an equaliser and City had some shaky moments at the back. Sargent met a low cross with a firm side-foot that went narrowly wide. Then Norwich had the ball in the net when McLean met a corner with a thumping header, but VAR spotted Cantwell standing directly in front of Schmeichel in an offside position and it was ruled out.
With four minutes remaining Rodger’s withdrew Maddison, giving Dewsbury-Hall his Premier League debut and he was involved in City’s last attacking move. Vardy broke down the middle and fed Dewsbury-Hall on the left, who sent a precise low cross to Iheanacho at the far post. The Nigerian’s first attempt was an air shot and his second flew wide.
City weathered a late series of Norwich corners, with the all-pink figure of keeper Krul making a nuisance of himself.

But City had found a way to win, from a below-par performance and went into the international break in a healthy position, despite that crippling injury list.
Brendan Rodgers was honest in his assessment: “I’m delighted with the three points, and we showed resilience and a spirit towards the end when the balls were coming into the box. But we were nowhere near the standard and level. We’ve not been at our best so far but we have won two of our three games. That will come over the course of the season, with a little bit more time and fitness.”

Norwich: Krul, Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Williams, Lees-Melou (Rupp 73), Gilmour (Idah 79), McLean, Cantwell, Pukki (Sargent 73), Rashica.
Substitutes: Zimmermann, Dowell, Sørensen, Gunn, Giannoulis, Omobamidele.
Leicester: Schmeichel, Ricardo (Castagne 11), Amartey, Söyüncü, Thomas, Albrighton, Ndidi, Tielemans, Barnes (Iheanacho 67), Vardy, Maddison (Dewsbury-Hall 86).
Substitutes: Ward, Choudhury, Praet, Daka, Jakupovic, Soumaré.

Referee: Robert Jones. Attendance: 26,765.

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Ten-man Leicester brushed aside by West Ham

West Ham United 4:1 Leicester City

A poor night for City in East London saw Pérez dismissed in the first half and defensive errors helping West Ham to a 4-1 victory.

Brendan Rodgers named an unchanged side for this Monday night trip to the London Stadium and they had plenty of possession in the opening 20 minutes, without doing much with it. West Ham looked more of a threat: Benrahma curled a long-range effort which didn’t trouble Schmeichel, Rice hoofed an effort way over the bar, and Antonio sent a 25-yarder wide.
City went behind in the 26th minute, when a wayward pass from Vardy was pounced upon. Benrahma charged down the left and crossed for Fornals who guided the ball across Schmeichel and into the far corner.
As City went in search of an equaliser their first chance came on the half hour. Pérez slipped a ball through to Ricardo, but he sliced his near post effort wide. Maddison then set up Pérez for a shot, which went well wide.
West Ham regained control of the game and then City went down to ten men five minutes before the break.
Pérez was shoved in the back and his momentum took him into Fornals. Although it didn’t look much at first viewing, and Michael Oliver waved play on, the VAR replay didn’t look good. Pérez stamped down on Fornals shin and he was off for an early bath.
A goal down and a man down City’s first job was to get to half time, which they did, despite some pressure from the home side.

There were no changes for the second half and West Ham went close when Fornals curled a cross to Antonio, but his header was too close to Schmeichel who pulled off a fine save.
But a self-inflicted wound in the 56th minute saw City go further behind. Söyüncü passed a ball back to Schmeichel without looking up, but the City keeper had come out of his goal to offer an easy option. Antonio intercepted and cut a ball back for Benrahma who swept the ball into the bottom left hand corner.
With West Ham now well on top Schmeichel produced a fine save from a well-struck 25 yarder by the lively Antonio.
Brendan Rodgers made his first change in the 64th minute, bringing Daka on for Barnes to partner Vardy up front. It was a gamble, and it paid dividends in the 70th minute when City pulled a goal back. Maddison crossed from the left, Daka couldn’t reach it, but the ball ended up with Tielemans who bundled it home at the second attempt.
That dented the party atmosphere for a while, but the place was soon rocking again. In the 80th minute Antonio turned Söyüncü in the area, before firing a shot past Schmeichel, to become West Ham’s leading Premier League scorer. As he danced around with a cardboard cut-out of himself, City’s chances of a comeback had dissolved.
Four minutes later Antonio struck again, with more poor defending allowing him to bring a ball down and send it past Schmeichel with his studs.

That goal put West Ham on top of the Premier League, while City were left to reflect on a worryingly poor performance. Though it would be harsh to judge the defensive display with Evans, Forfana, Justin, Vestergaard, Bertrand and Castagne all missing.

West Ham: Fabianski, Coufal, Dawson, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Soucek, Rice, Bowen, Fornals, Benrahma (Noble 88), Antonio (Yarmolenko 89).
Substitutes: Lanzini, Areola, Diop, Fredericks, Johnson, Coventry, Baptiste.
Leicester: Schmeichel, Ricardo, Amartey, Söyüncü, Thomas, Tielemans, Ndidi, Pérez, Maddison (Soumaré 81), Barnes (Daka 64), Vardy (Iheanacho 81).
Substitutes: Albrighton, Ward, Iheanacho, Choudhury, Dewsbury-Hall, Praet, Castagne.
Referee: Michael Oliver.

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Winning start for Leicester as sublime Vardy touch defeats Wolves

Leicester City 1:0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

City edged a tight encounter with Wolves thanks to a superb goal from Jamie Vardy late in the first half, as the fans returned to the King Power Stadium.

As many of the supporters took their seats for the first time in 18 months, there was a reminder of what we’ve been going through as the news broke that Bertrand was absent from the squad having tested positive for Covid. This was the only change Brendan Rodgers made to his Community Shield winning side, with Thomas coming in.

There was a lively start to the game with Vardy looking menacing and he had an early chance when Pérez picked him out on the left. He didn’t quite connect with his shot across goal and Sá made a comfortable save.
Vardy then had the ball in the net in the 15th minute, but he’d strayed offside collecting a pass from Tielemans.
A Thomas cross to the far post almost found Maddison’s head, before Saïss intervened.
The game tightened up after that though Wolves should have gone ahead in the 36th minute. A wayward ball out of defence from Amartey saw Traoré charging down the middle and although he outpaced Amartey and Söyüncü he sent his shot a foot wide of the right hand post.
Instead, it was City who took a 41st minute lead. Some superb footwork by Ricardo down the right saw him past two defenders before delivering a low cross. A burst of speed from Vardy saw him nip ahead of Coady at the near post to flick the ball beyond Sá. He celebrated his goal in the Wolves corner, adding to his portfolio of customised celebrations with a wolf howl.
City pressed up to the break and Sá was called into action to save efforts from Barnes and Tielemans.

Bruno Lage’s side improved in the second half and City had some defending to do. Moutinho blazed a shot over from a good position and Söyüncü did just enough to divert a Trincão effort.
Brendan Rodgers decided a change was needed in the 62nd minute and Vestergaard and Soumaré made their debuts, replacing Maddison and Pérez, in a more defensive line-up.
Traoré then battering-rammed his way through the City defence again, but sent a half-volley straight at Schmeichel.
Iheanacho replaced Barnes in the 72nd minute, before a rare chance for City saw Tielemans send Vardy in down the right channel but he fired his first time shot wide.
As full time approached Wolves turned the screw, Kilman danced through the defence before eventually have his shot blocked by Amartey and seconds later a Neves cross saw Kilman head straight at Schmeichel from six yards out.
Thomas then blocked a Gibbs-White shot, before Coady got the ball in the net, but Wolves celebrations were quickly stifled by the offside flag.
City weathered the storm to claim three points on opening day thanks to those moments of brilliance from Ricardo and Vardy.

Brendan Rodgers praised his goalscorer: “When he has that form and that level of fitness, that hunger, he’s very difficult to play against. I thought he was outstanding today. There’s some outstanding strikers in the Premier League and of course he’s up there with them. He had a really good pre-season and we saw the results of that today.”

Leicester: Schmeichel, Ricardo, Amartey, Söyüncü, Thomas, Tielemans, Ndidi, Pérez (Vestergaard 62), Maddison (Soumaré 62), Barnes (Iheanacho 72), Vardy.
Substitutes: Albrighton, Ward, Choudhury, Dewsbury-Hall, Praet, Daka.
Wolves: Malheiro de Sá, Kilman (Fábio Silva 90), Coady, Saïss, Hoever, Neves, João Moutinho (Dendoncker 66), Marçal, Machado Trincão (Gibbs-White 86), Jiménez, Traoré.
Substitutes: Aït-Nouri, Ruddy, Nélson Semedo, Cundle, Marques, Campbell.

Referee: Craig Pawson. Attendance: 31,983.

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Iheanacho penalty delivers silverware in season curtain-raiser

Leicester City 1:0 Manchester City

A late penalty, converted by Kelechi Iheanacho, settled a tight game against Manchester City and landed Leicester their first Community Shield win in 50 years.

Brendan Rodgers made one change from the Villarreal game with Amartey in for Fofana, who Rodgers revealed will be out until 2022 with his broken leg and ligament damage.

City carved out the first chance in the 4th minute when Maddison sent Barnes in on the left, but his shot was blocked by Dias. At the other end Schmeichel reacted well to tip a long range Gündogan free-kick over the bar.
Barnes went on another run, after Bertrand picked him out, but he was crowded out by the Man City defence.
Söyüncü then sliced a Mendy cross narrowly over his own bar, but the resulting corner saw Mahrez slash a chance high and wide.
In an even contest, Vardy saw his low shot tipped round the post by Steffen. Good work from Ricardo down the right then led to a Pérez chance, but he didn’t get enough on it to trouble Steffen. A ball-winning challenge from the magnificent Ndidi saw City break forward, but a half-volley from Vardy went straight at Steffen.
As the first half progressed City gained the upper hand, running the midfield, and Man City were limited to a wildly off-target effort from Ndozie.
Bertrand and Palmer then collided in the City area and the award of a Leicester free-kick caused a grumpy looking Pep Guardiola to earn himself a yellow card.
City went very close to taking a lead down the tunnel in the 45th minute when Barnes played a ball across goal to an unmarked Vardy. His half-volley across Steffen saw the keeper get a slight touch to divert the shot onto the post.

The first half had been Leicester’s but the Champions begin to press forward soon after the interval.
Mahrez sent a free-kick well over from a good position and then Gündogan sent an effort sailing well over.
Man City then wasted a great chance when a wayward ball from Ricardo led to Mahrez running clear on goal. Ndidi and Ricardo made up several yards on him, Ndidi doing just enough to put him off as he shot wide.
The 65th minute brought the loudest cheer of the afternoon from an underpopulated Man City end when £100m signing Grealish was introduced to the action.
In the 71st minute Brendan Rodgers made his first changes, bringing on Albrighton, Daka, Dewsbury-Hall,and Soumaré for Pérez, Vardy, Maddison, Tielemans.
Further changes soon followed with Thomas replacing Bertrand and then Iheanacho on for Barnes. These changes halted the momentum of the game for a while, but then it was City who picked up the pace.
With City doing the pressing Daka almost broke through but was thwarted by Steffen. And then, in the 88th minute, came the moment that sealed victory. Aké dwelt too long after receiving a pass on the edge of the area and Iheancho robbed him before being bundled over. With memories of his recent penalty miss at Burton causing a nervous few moments Iheanacho made no mistake this time, giving Steffen no chance.
City saw out four minutes of added time comfortably and, 50 years to the day since Steve Whitworth’s winner against Liverpool, they lifted the Community Shield once again.

It was a great start to the season and Brendan Rodgers commented: “There was a great feeling coming here today. Every Leicester player, fan, staff member coming here, it was a really special feeling. We wanted to take that into the game and keep that feeling going, and thankfully we’ve done that.”

Leicester: Schmeichel, Ricardo, Amartey, Söyüncü, Bertrand (Thomas 78), Tielemans (Soumaré 72), Ndidi, Pérez (Albrighton 71), Maddison (Dewsbury-Hall 71), Barnes (Iheanacho 79), Vardy (Daka 71).
Substitutes: Ward, Benkovic, Choudhury.
Man City: Steffen, Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Aké, Mendy, Palmer (Bernardo Silva 74), Fernandinho, Gündogan (Rodri 65), Mahrez, Torres (Knight 74), Edozie (Grealish 65).
Substitutes: Carson, Sandler, Doyle, Gomes, Couto.
Referee: Paul Tierney.

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The FOX Summer Special 2021 – in the shops now

The FOX Summer Special 2021, our 31st Summer Edition, is in the shops and available via the post now…

Our 31st annual summer edition features: Loads and loads of FA Cup; an interview with BBC Radio Leicester’s Ian Stringer; a review of the 2020-21 season;  Changing of the Guard – a farewell to Wes Morgan, Christian Fuchs and Matty James; Somewhere Over the Rainbow – a 60 year wait for the FA Cup; Guide to the Premier League 2021-22; Nearly Home – England’s Euro 2020 journey to the final; LCFC on Twitter and the reaction to winning the FA Cup; a tribute to veteran supporter Colin Martin; A Question of Shorts – the latest Adidas kit; FiftySomething celebrates Youri’s goal; The Joy of Six – how the Cup was won; Foxed in the Head on vintage cameras, Monty Python, supporters past, and Panini; Your Player, Villain and Goal of the season; The History of Leicester City in 100 Objects expressed in shirts and lucky charms; John Hutchinson recalls Jock Wallace’s departure; the Best of Bentley’s Roof and your letters; Farewell to Kathleen Sercombe and Fanatical Frank is dreaming…

The most fun you can have for £3.

Ian Stringer Interview Extract…

FOX: Claudio Ranieri came in next, how did you find him?
IS: Oooh, they were the days of my life. Claudio just didn’t give two Fuchs, he shot from the hip, he talked from the heart. He played with the tactical nous of a very experienced man. Came in, saw it wasn’t broken so didn’t fix it, knew the small changes he would have to make. He spoke to some local Italians, including a friend of mine Giamba at Pete’s Pizza, for some advice on how to fit in in Leicester. Giamba told him to get into Kasabian because they were massive and from Leicester. He also told Claudio that if they kept a clean sheet the whole team could have a free pizza, and he went with that.
His press conferences were as much fun as they looked, and he was as much fun as he seemed.
After he left Leicester I went to see him in Nantes for lunch, at the football club. His players all came over and shook our hands most respectfully because we were guests of Claudio. When we were done we went off to order a cab and he said: “No no no no no I will drive.”
We said, “No, you’re working.”
But he wouldn’t have it, and drove us back into town in his little electric BMW.
He always gave you a line, was hilarious, and gave us the greatest days of our lives. He was a hero.

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Leicester miss out on top four finish for a second season running

Leicester City 2:4 Tottenham Hotspur

The fans returned to the King Power Stadium on Sunday just in time to witness a cruel end to a great season. For the second season running City dropped out of the Champions League places on the last day after a second half collapse against Tottenham.

Brendan Rodgers made one change to his side, bringing Iheanacho in for Pérez, for a game that City had to win, while hoping that either Liverpool or Chelsea would slip up.
With the title and relegation already wrapped up all eyes were on the scramble for European places. City had already qualified for Europe for consecutive seasons for the first time, but which competition would it be?
City, wearing next season’s kit with a return to white shorts, did some early probing. Doherty cleared a Tielemans cross, Söyüncü got his head to a corner, which was claimed by Lloris, and then Maddison’s attempted 25 yard curler was blocked by Alderweireld.
And then, in the 18th minute, they took a precious lead. Vardy raced across the penalty area and cut in behind Alderweireld who dangled a leg to bring him down. Referee Anthony Taylor waved play on, but VAR was soon asking him to have another look. Slow motion emphasised how deliberate it was and Vardy fired City into the lead from the spot.

City, who had jumped from 5th to 3rd, were the better side at this point, but then suffered a big blow in the 21st minute. Fofana had to limp off with a hamstring strain, Ndidi dropped into defence and Mendy came on to take his place in midfield. City never looked as good after this switch and Spurs were now on the front foot.
City were restricted to a long range Albrighton effort while Spurs were threatening and Söyüncü made a vital interception to prevent Kane getting on the end of a Son cross.
With Liverpool taking the lead against Palace City dropped to 4th, but worse was to come four minutes before the break when Spurs levelled. A Doherty shot following a corner was blocked by Ndidi’s head, the loose ball dropped for Son who chipped it into the area. It looped up off Thomas dropping perfectly for Kane to volley a fierce shot that went through Schmeichel’s legs.
Late in the half Villa took the lead against Chelsea, as City went down the tunnel in 5th place.

City, who needed a goal to get back into the top four, started the second half well and Mendy fired a shot on target that was too close to Lloris.
Then, in the 52nd minute, they were awarded their second penalty of the game. Maddison sent a ball forward to Vardy in the area, and he got into a rather crafty tangle with Sánchez before hitting the deck. VAR saw no reason to reverse Anthony Taylor’s decision and Vardy netted comfortably from 12 yards again.
Rodgers began to shore things up in the 62nd minute, bringing Ricardo on for Maddison, and City were coping well with Tottenham’s threat. With 14 minutes to go, and Chelsea now 2-0 down at Villa, the fans may have been hearing the strains of the Champions League anthem. And then it all went horribly wrong.
In the 76th minute Son swung a corner in from the left, Schmeichel mistimed his jump against Sánchez and punched the ball into his own net.

As City tried to press forward they were left exposed at the back and the Champions League disappeared over the horizon when Spurs took an 87th minute lead. A Son backheel to Kane jumped up and hit him on the hand but play continued and Kane laid a ball back to substitute Bale, who swept it home from the edge of the area.
Salt was rubbed into the wounds deep into added time when Bale raced down the middle and fired a shot against the post before netting the rebound.

Although there was an air of disappointment and déjà vu hanging over the ground, there was time to acknowledge that this had been the club’s second best season of all time. It had been achieved in the face of a brutal fixture list and terrible luck with injuries. Farewells were said to the departing Wes Morgan and Christian Fuchs, while the FA Cup was paraded to those who had missed out on the day at Wembley.
Tielemans received his Players and Players’ Player of the Season awards, and it is to be hoped that his tears weren’t the goodbye sort.

Brendan Rodgers spoke for most of us: “I have nothing but pride and admiration for the players. They’ve constantly had things go against them with injuries. If you look at the importance of the players out today, we were able to take it down to the last game and the last 15 minutes. The ownership have given me amazing support. The players have given me their heart and souls every day. I’m so disappointed for them we couldn’t get over the line.”

Leicester: Schmeichel, Castagne, Fofana (Mendy 21), Söyüncü, Thomas, Albrighton (Pérez 80), Ndidi, Tielemans, Maddison (Ricardo 62), Iheanacho, Vardy.
Substitutes: Morgan, Ward, Amartey, Choudhury, Praet, Fuchs.
Tottenham: Lloris, Doherty, Sánchez, Alderweireld, Reguilón, Højbjerg, Winks, Bergwijn (Bale 68), Alli (Lucas Moura 68), Son Heung-Min (Rodon 90), Kane.
Substitutes: Lamela, Hart, Dier, Alves Morais, Scarlett, John.
Referee: Anthony Taylor. Attendance: 8,000.

PHOTOS: Simon Kimber

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